The present invention relates generally to an adjustable brassiere and, more particularly, to such a brassiere which is not only capable of providing adequate support for the wearer but, in addition, is extremely comfortable to wear, provides a custom fit for different sized wearers and may be worn under a variety of different fashion dresses and tops.
While a brassiere must be able to provide adequate support, a factor considered by many women in selecting such a garment is the ability of the garment to be able to be adjusted both as to breast retaining cup size and amount of garment coverage. Heretofore, adjustable brassieres were extremely limited in the type of adjustments which could actually be made. For example, most of the garments which permitted cup size adjustment did not permit independent adjustment of back width, of breast separation or cleavage or of garment coverage.
Brassieres which were able to be adjusted to control the size of the breast retaining cups have been marketed for many years. Most of these garments, however, utilize front closure means which serve to not only fasten or secure the brassiere but, in addition, permit some adjustment to be made to the size or volume of the breast retaining cup. An example of such a front closure garment is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,970,597 which issued to J. M. Michel on Feb. 7, 1961 for Body Encircling Garments. The garment described in the Michel patent includes tabs having fastener elements located at their respective ends which are adapted to engage slits located below the opposite breast retaining cup. The fastener elements are the primary closure means for the brassiere and, as such, they control both breast retaining cup size and back width. See, also U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,575,989 which issued on Mar. 9, 1926 to Grace Van Allen Haven for a Brassiere; 1,958,963 which issued on May 15, 1934 to Laina de Got for a Brassiere; 2,390,465 which issued on Dec. 4, 1945 to Florence Russo for an Undergarment; and 3,459,190 which issued on Aug. 5, 1969 to Blanche Frischer et al. for Foundation Garments.
During the past few years, Warner introduced an adjustable brassiere known as "The Wrap" which is a front closure, soft cup brassiere having a 5 hook adjustable front closure. Exquisite Form markets a brassiere known as its "Adjust To Fit" brassiere which is claimed to have a "customized degree of plunge" and "adjustable cup volume for fit". Such garments, however, have limited adjustability and their adjustment means are both bulky and not especially secure. Similarly, a nursing brassiere was introduced in West Germany by Susa-Werke called Der Moderne Still-BH which permits each of the breast retaining cups to be separately opened to permit access for nursing.
These both prior art adjustable brassieres all utilized front closure means to control cup volume and back width. None of the garments disclosed in these patents permit independent adjustability for cup size and back width.
Similarly, those prior art brassieres which incorporate back closures to control back width have not, heretofore, permitted independent adjustability of cup size or the ability to control breast separation and cleavage to permit the garment to be worn underneath a variety of different outer garments. For example, the brassiere described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,378,013, which issued to Enrico Bruno on Apr. 16, 1968 for a Brassiere With Lower Cup Framing Adjustment, while including a pair of longitudinally adjustment bands 10 for adjusting the garment to accommodate women with out of standard rib cages, is incapable of being adjusted to control separation and cleavage since both of the breast retaining cups are attached together. See, also, U.S. Pat. No. 2,454,153 which issued to Jack Glick on Nov. 16, 1948 for a Brassiere; U.S. Pat. No. 2,553,225 which issued to Roy Blaine Weaver et al. on May 15, 1951 for a Brassiere; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,067,354 which issued to Lola Spare on Jan. 12, 1937 for a Brassiere. Each of the brassieres described in these patents include adjusting means for controlling the size or volume of the individual breast retaining cups and a back width adjustment. The breast retaining cups are, however, permanently attached together and, as such, do not permit adjustment of breast separation and cleavage, thus preventing the garments from being worn under different fashion garments.
The adjustable brassieres described in the prior art, while each offering some degree of adjustability, all fail to provide the optimal adjustable brassiere, i.e., one which provides a true comfort fit by permitting independent adjustment of the size or volume of the breast retaining cups; by permitting independent adjustment of the back width; by permitting control of the amount of garment coverage, i.e., the center height of the brassiere measured between the breast retaining cups, to permit the garment to be worn under a wide variety of outer garments; and by permitting control of breast separation and cleavage.